(1) Field
The present invention relates generally to mirrored dressers, and more particularly to mirrored dressers for jewelry storage. Even more particularly, the present invention relates to mirrored dressers having a slidable compartment for jewelry storage located behind the mirror.
(2) Related Technology
Traditional dressers are known in the art for clothes storage. At least one other has attempted to develop a mirrored dresser for jewelry storage. U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,719 (“Battista”) discloses a concealed jewelry case in a dresser. Battista's dresser uses a pivoting mirror that pivots around a vertically oriented hinge. To gain access to Battista's hidden jewelry case, a user must lift the end of a spring biased pin located on the top panel of the mirror assembly. While possibly functional, Battista's dresser has various problems.
For example, when using Battista's dresser, a user must lift the spring biased pin, pivot the mirror open, and then close the mirror each time the user which to try on a new piece of jewelry in front of the mirror. Such repetition could become tedious if the user does not select the desired piece of jewelry on the first or second series of steps. Some may also consider such repetition to be a waste of time. Applicants' invention overcomes this problem by allowing users to access jewelry and view the mirror simultaneously, without the need for opening and closing doors or panels.
Further, Battista's dresser is potentially dangerous. The weight of mirrors is well known. Using Battista's design, the weight of the mirror is unstable and constantly shifting as the mirror swings with each opening, which could potentially topple the dresser onto those accessing the jewelry compartment or onto young children playing below. Because the dresser is heavy and because broken glass is sharp, such a result would be undesirable. In an attempt to avoid such an undesirable result, those using Battista's design would be limited by several constraints. The mirror's size and weight would be constrained by the size and weight of the dresser. For example, designers would need to ensure that the weight of Batista's mirror is within a range suitable to reduce the potential for dresser-topple as the mirror swings forward. Further, Batista's dresser and/or mirror assemble may need to be secured to floors or wall or both to reduce the chance of topple. Regardless of design optimization, users may still need to avoid swinging Batista's mirror open when dresser drawers are open, which could result in excessive forward weight and dresser topple. Applicants' invention addresses these problems by providing a stable and essentially stationary mirror that does not have the same size and weight constraints that Battista's mirror does. Applicants' invention also provides an improvement in safety.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,059,388 (“Wheatley”) discloses a concealable jewelry box that is shown mounted behind a piece of furniture. Wheatly also discloses that Wheatly's jewelry box can be mounted behind a mirror. Wheatly's box, however, has numerous structural differences from the presently disclosed invention, which translate into various functional differences. By way of example, Wheatly's box is a box designed to stick to preexisting pieces of furniture. In terms of a mirror or dresser this is undesirable because Wheatly's box would prevent furniture from being flushly placed next to a vertical wall. Besides the aesthetic disadvantages of such a limitation, the spacing between furniture and wall would emphasize the positioning and location of valuable jewelry to those, e.g., burglars, searching for such items. Applicants' invention addresses these and additional problems.